India running terror training camps for Baloch youths: Pak

July 24, 2009 20:32 IST

Pakistan on Friday made fresh allegations about India's involvement in terrorist activities in the country, with Interior Minister Rehman Malik telling parliament that Indian intelligence agencies were running training camps in Afghanistan to foment unrest in Balochistan.

Malik told the Senate or upper house of parliament that alleged terrorist training camps in Afghanistan were training Baloch youths to create disturbances in the southwestern province.

He claimed these camps were being run by Indian intelligence agencies. The Interior Minister, a close aide of President Asif Ali Zardari, said he provided proof regarding training camps where Baloch insurgents are trained to Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai during a recent meeting in Kabul.

Malik said Karzai had assured him that these terrorist training camps in Afghanistan would be closed. He also said that Islamabad had informed New Delhi about the training camps after getting "strong evidence" from Pakistani intelligence agencies.

He said Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani too had raised the issue of India's alleged involvement in Balochistan with his counterpart Manmohan Singh during a recent meeting in Egypt. The demand for separation by Baloch insurgents cannot be accepted, Malik said.

Pakistan has for long accused India of being involved in creating unrest in the southwestern province of Balochistan, which shares a long and porous border with Afghanistan.

A joint statement issued after the July 16 meeting between Gilani and Singh said Pakistan had conveyed to India "some information on threats in Balochistan and other areas."

Reports in a section of the Pakistani media said Gilani had provided a dossier to Singh on India's alleged interference in Balochistan, but this has been denied by Indian officials.

Baloch nationalist groups often carry out attacks on security forces and government installations in the province as part of their campaign to have a greater say in decision-making and exploitation of the region's natural resources.